Combination-lock



(Modeh) J. W. ESTES.

COMBINATION LOCK. No. 369,331. Patented Sept. 6, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcs.

JOHN W. ESTES, OF DIXON, MISSOURI.

COMBIN ATION LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,331, dated September 6, 1887.

Application filed July 9, 1886. Serial No. 207,541. (Modem To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. ESTES, a citi= zen of the United States, residing at Dixon, in the county of Pulaski and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in combination-locks, the object of which is to provide a cheap, simple, durable, and convenient device for being used either use padlock, door-lock, drawer, safe, or chest lock, tc. These objects I attain by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a view in elevation of my invention, as seen from the outside, applied to atrunk-lock. Fig. 2 is a similar View applied to a padlock. Fig. 3 is a view of the interior of the lock, with the plate, dial, and upper tumbler removed. Fig. 4- is a view in elevation of the upper tumbler from the under side secured 'to the plate, and also showing the back side of the dial as secured to said plate. Fig. 5 is a view of the hasp and its attachments when used with a trunk-lock. Fig. 6 is a view of the lower tumblers. Fig. 7 is a view of the face of the dial. Fig. 8 is a view of the knob and hand for setting the combination. Fig. 9 is a view of the plate from the back side. Fig. 10 is a view of the upper tumbler from the upper side. Fig. 11 is a view of the washer to be used on the post of the lock.

Similarletters of reference represent corresponding parts in the several figures.

A is the casin g, of any desired size and shape to hold the mechanism of the lock. Said casing has a rim, a, in which are formed holes d a to receive the hasp, and an opening, a to receive a lug, b, of the dial B. Said dial is also provided with a projection, b", in which are holes I) b to receive the hasp O, for holding the dial firmly in place. The face of said dial is divided into any given number of parts,

which are indicated by marks, and are numbered, so that the combinations may be easily noted or remembered. It is also provided with a hole, I), to admit light into the interior of the casing when setting the combination, and a central hole to receive the neck of the plate.

D is a plate of any desired size, preferably large enough to cover the dial B, and has a neck, d, provided with a shoulder, d Said plate turns in the opening in the dial on the large part d of the neck, serving as an axis, while the first or upper tumbler, E, is secured firmly in place upon the'shoulder d",said shoul der being provided with teeth d", for engaging similar teeth, 6, on the upper side of the tumbler E, for preventing the same from turning. Said tumbler is secured in place by means of a set-screw, d, which enters the opening d in the end of the neck (Z. Said plate D has an opening, (1 pro vidcd with a pointer, d. Tumbler E is circular in shape and provided with a notch, e in the margin of the same. One side, 6", of the said notch is cut on the radial line from the center of the tumbler, the other side, 6, being a gradual descent to the desired depth,for letting the catch Z of the bolt enter the notches g f 2 of the lower tumblers in looking, and for removing the same when unlocking. Said tn mblerhas a pin, a, which is placed about one-fourth the distance around the tumbler from the said notch. Said pin is adapted to enter slots f g in the other tumblers, which may be of any desired number, preferably two, F G, as shown. Said tumblers are circular inform, and have hearings on the post a", and between them is placed a stationary washer, H, which is secured to said post by any suitable means, preferably by means of a tooth, h, which enters a groove, (5, in such post, thus preventing the under tumblers from interfering with each other when in motion. Said tumblers have notches g f in their outer edges, with radial sides made large enough to receive and hold the catch Z of the look-bolt L when the device is unlocked.

L is a bolt, of any desired size and shape, provided with a slot, P, to receive a lug in the casing for holding it in place. Said bolt has lugs Z 1* to enter the notches of the hasp, and is provided with asuitablespring, I, for-throwing it and holding itback out of the way when unlocked.

O is ahasp, of any desired size and shape, and when used in connection with a trunk-lock, door-lock, &c., it is provided with a suitable lever, K, which has an arm, 76, engaging said hasp, a pivot, and a thumbpiece, 7a, which projects through a slot in the upper casing or plate, A to the outside, for raising said hasp, when desired, after unlocking.

O is a setting-knob having shoulders 0 0 and an opening to receive a set-screw, d,which enters the end of the knob to hold the upper tumbler, E, in place, the same as said tumbler is secured to the neck of plate D. A post, a which is secured to the casing A, has an open top, or is hollow, to receive the head of said set-screw (1 P is a hand secured to the setting-knob by means of an open ring, 1). This setting-knob is used when it is desired to find or change the combination of the look, as hereinafter explained.

A is a plate for securing the lock in position to a trunk, chest, door, drawer, 850. It is provided with a hole to receive the casing of the lock, and also holes to receive bolts for securing the same.

A is an upper plateifor securing the hasp to the top of the trunk, &c., and is provided with a lever, K, for operating the same, as above set forth. 7

The device is put together and operated thus: One of the lower tumblers is placed on the post a. Then the stationary washer His secured in position and the other tumbler placed on the post. The bolt L is placed so that the catch 1 will drop in the notches f 2 0 when the tumblers are in position. The dial is then placed on the neck of the setting-knob for setting the combination, with its face toward the knob, while the tumblerE is secured firmly in place on the shoulder of the same to revolve with the knob. The lug b of the dial is then put in the opening a, and the projection b fits over the bolt L. The knob is then turned to the left and the edge of the upper tumbler moves the catch of the bolt back to catch the hasp in locking. Meanwhile the pin 6 moves the under tumblers, and by reason of the different lengths of the slots f g the notches f 2 g are separated, so that the knob is free to move or revolve in either direction without setting the combination for admitting the bolt to fly back, and different locks may have slots of different lengths in the tumblers relatively to each other for making different combinations.

The combination is learned by examination with the setting-knob thus: The setting-knob is turned in either direction, turning to the right until the longest slotted lower tumbler is set with its notch opposite the catch 1 of the bolt, which may be seen through the hole I) in the dial, said hole being placed over the catch Z and large enough to admit light, so as to see the position of the tumblers. The pointer 12 of the hand is then moved to any desired position on the dial, which is noted as the first part of the combination. The

knob is then turned back in the opposite direction until the notch of the other tumbler is opposite the said catch, which is seen as before. The position of the pointer is then noted as the second part of the combination. The knob is then turned back again in the first direction until the notch of the upper tumbler gets opposite the said catch,in which case the bolt is thrown and held back by the spring and the catch of the bolt enters the notches. The position of the pointer is again noted as the third and last element of the combination. The setting-knob is then removed and the plate D secured in its place, the dial being placed on the neck as before. The pointer d is placed on the last part of the combination. The upper tumbler is then secured in position by the set-screw (17, so that the radial edge e of the notch 6 will be on a line with the line b, which is placed on the back of the dial, so as to be directly over the center of the catch 1 when the dial is in place on the lock. Thus, when put together and locked, which is accomplished, as above set forth, by turning the plate'to the right, it maybe unlocked by turning said plate so that the pointer of the plate will move as the pointer of the setting-knob was moved, as

shown by the dial.

The combination may be changed when desired by means of the setting-knob and placing the setting-pointer at a different position in the beginning.

This lock may be made of any suitable material, and having but one spring, which may be easily replaced, it is very durable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a look, a dial, B, having a face marked or divided into a number of parts, a lug, b, secured upon the back thereof, and a line, b, also on the back thereof and over the center of catch Zwhen the dial is in place on the lock, said dial being provided with a central hole to admit the neck of the setting-knob O, and a hole, I)", and a projection with holes to receive a hasp, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a lock, a plate, D, having a hole, (1

and a pointer, cl, and provided with a neck,

d, having a shoulder, d provided with teeth d, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with a combination lock, of a setting-knob, 0, having shoulders o 0, with a hand, 1?, a dial, B, havingaface divided into a number of parts, and a tumbler, E, having a pin, 6, and notch a all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

IIO

4c. The combination, with a lock-case and In testimony whereof I affix my signature in bolt provided with a spring, of a hasp, 0, presence of two witnesses. round tumblers F G E, having notches and T T 4 slots, dial B, having a face divided into a JOHI ESTES 5 number of parts, plate D, having a neck, Witnesses:

and plates A A, substantially as shown and S. A. HASELTINE, described. S. G. HASELTINE. 

